DNG to PCX: conversion guide

What happens when you convert DNG to PCX?

RAW development

DNG needs camera- and file-aware development to produce a rendered PCX image. White balance, exposure, camera colour interpretation and, where applicable, demosaicing determine that rendering. The destination does not retain the original RAW development latitude. No development settings or camera support are implemented yet.

Lossless sample storage

PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.

8-bit destination samples

The reviewed PCX representation uses 8-bit colour samples. If the source contains higher-precision samples, they must be reduced before encoding, even in a lossless output mode. Rounding, dithering and colour conversion are future engine decisions; lost precision cannot be recovered from this output.

DNG

Source

DNG

Adobe Digital Negative

Compression: Depends on variantTransparency: NoMetadata: Exif, DNG tags

A published TIFF-based format for raw image data, calibration and photographic metadata.

Explore DNG format →

PCX

Target

PCX

ZSoft PC Paintbrush

Compression: LosslessTransparency: NoMetadata: Resolution, Palette information

A legacy Paintbrush raster format with planar colour storage and run-length compression.

Explore PCX format →

Is DNG → PCX right for you?

Good choice when

PCX fits your delivery use: Legacy graphics & game assets.
You need a developed image for a non-RAW application.
You need lossless storage of the rendered samples supported by PCX.
8-bit colour is sufficient for your destination.

Probably not when

You need the original sensor data and freedom to redevelop it.
You expect lossless encoding to restore lost details or editing structure.
You need higher-precision samples for grading or measurement.
You require identical samples without a defined colour and precision policy.

DNG to PCX conversion details

RAW development: DNG needs camera- and file-aware development to produce a rendered PCX image. White balance, exposure, camera colour interpretation and, where applicable, demosaicing determine that rendering. The destination does not retain the original RAW development latitude. No development settings or camera support are implemented yet.
Lossless sample storage: PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.
8-bit destination samples: The reviewed PCX representation uses 8-bit colour samples. If the source contains higher-precision samples, they must be reduced before encoding, even in a lossless output mode. Rounding, dithering and colour conversion are future engine decisions; lost precision cannot be recovered from this output.
Sample precision & colour: Source and target sample models can differ in precision, channel layout, colour space and transfer function. Lossless compression only preserves the samples actually encoded; a precision reduction or colour conversion can already change them. The future engine defines numeric mapping, orientation and colour conversion; canonical depth facts are listed below where available.
Metadata & colour: Format support does not guarantee that an export preserves metadata or colour profiles. Retention and colour handling depend on the future converter; its engine is not implemented yet.
Compression: DNG: Depends on variant → PCX: Lossless DNG: Compression, sample type and processing stage are defined by the file and DNG version. Converting a proprietary raw file to DNG is different from exporting a rendered photo, but it does not guarantee preservation of every maker-specific feature. Keep the source when future reprocessing or vendor software matters. PCX: PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers.
Colour depth: DNG: File-defined sample precision → PCX: Palette or 24-bit RGB
Sensor data: DNG: Raw development required
Dimensions: Pixel dimensions, page geometry, rendering resolution, resizing and orientation need explicit converter policies. The future engine has not defined them yet.
Metadata: DNG: Exif, DNG tags → PCX: Resolution, Palette information. Which fields are copied, rewritten or omitted will depend on the future engine; retention is not implemented yet.

Common questions

Will PCX still be an editable camera RAW?

DNG needs camera- and file-aware development to produce a rendered PCX image. White balance, exposure, camera colour interpretation and, where applicable, demosaicing determine that rendering. The destination does not retain the original RAW development latitude. No development settings or camera support are implemented yet.

Does lossless output mean an unchanged source?

PCX RLE is lossless for stored samples. Palette reduction is a separate potentially lossy step; colour planes are channels, not editable composition layers. PCX can store its supported image samples without lossy compression. This applies after rendering and sample conversion: it does not guarantee preservation of source precision, colour space or document structure, and cannot undo earlier losses.

Can this output keep higher-than-8-bit samples?

The reviewed PCX representation uses 8-bit colour samples. If the source contains higher-precision samples, they must be reduced before encoding, even in a lossless output mode. Rounding, dithering and colour conversion are future engine decisions; lost precision cannot be recovered from this output.

Are bit depth and colour values guaranteed to match?

Source and target sample models can differ in precision, channel layout, colour space and transfer function. Lossless compression only preserves the samples actually encoded; a precision reduction or colour conversion can already change them. The future engine defines numeric mapping, orientation and colour conversion; canonical depth facts are listed below where available.

Will metadata and colour profiles be retained?

DNG: Exif, DNG tags → PCX: Resolution, Palette information. Which fields are copied, rewritten or omitted will depend on the future engine; retention is not implemented yet.

Explore related DNG and PCX conversions.